Frequency control system



L, E. Nom-N 2,786,139v

FREQUENCY coNTEoL SYSTEM Filed Ju1y27, 1953 2 sheets-sheet 1 d TIORNE Y March' 19, 1957 Filed July 27, 1953 L. E. NORTON FREQUENCY CONTROL SYSTEM l, l//a JTTORNEY FREQUENCY CGNTRL SYSTEM Lowell E. Norton, Princeton, N. I., assigner to Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Deiaware The present invention is directed to frequency control and particularly to gas resonance frequency control.

it is known to control the frequency of a microwave generator by means of a gas cell. The gas cell depends for its operation on gas molecular resonance. The effective Q of such a gas cell may be extremely high. Therefore, the microwave energy control may be highly accurate, and stable.

In order to provide still higher effective Q, a reduced spectral line band-width of the gas at the resonant frequency may be employed. The band-width contribution due to intermolecular collisions may be reduced by pressure reduction. The band-width`contribution due to wall collisions may be decreased by increasing the gas container dimensions. Neither measure leads to any greatly reduced band-width because Doppler contribution to the total band-width remains unchanged, and large compared to the other contributions. One way to reduce the Doppler line broadening is to use a Dicke-Newell gas cell. Briefly, this gas cell employs a plurality of grids (or other structure) for producing a field periodic in timeY turbed gas resonance byhalf the modulating frequencyV causes a coherent re-radiation or reflectionfrom the gas of the cell in constructive fashion. The re-radiated or reflected energy may be readily separated from the incident energy because such reflected .energy is below (if the incident energy is above) or above (if the incident energy is below) the undisturbed gas resonance fre-l quency by half the field modulation frequency. Moreover, this reflected energy has the characteristica'such as anomalous dispersion, of a gas resonance or spectral line except that it is displaced infrequency from the undisturbed gas resonance by half the modulating frequency. l Different systems are known for making use of the high Q characteristics of theDicke-Newell cell. Reference may be made, for example, to the said application of Dicke-Newell, to my copending applicationV Serial No. 338,062, filed February 20, 1953, entitled Gas Cell Free quency Cont-rol; `to my copending `application Serial No. 351,182, filed April 27, 1953, entitled Controlled Frequency Microwave Generation; and to my copending application Serial No. 365,178,"filed June 30, 1953, entitled Gas Resonance Frequency Control.

lt is an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved frequency control system employing a Dicke-Newell gas cell and different from those hereto fore known employing a Dicke-Newell gas cell.

Another object of the invention is to provide an im# States Patent O ICC proved frequency stabilization system for a microwave generator wherein the generator frequency is substantially olf-set from the gas resonance frequency by a different amount than the field modulation frequency.

A further object of the invention is to provide a frequency control system employing a Dicke-Newell gas cell in which the detection of the components highly sensitive to frequency shift in the re-radiated or coherently reflected energy from the gas cell is characterized by an improved signal-to-noise ratio.

In accordance with the invention, a microwave generator is modulated by a generator modulation oscillator at a frequency different from the field modulation oscillator frequency of a Dicke-Newell gas cell. The components from the microwave generator and its modulation sidebands are applied to this gas cell. Energy is coherently reected due to selection of a sideband frequency to be displaced by half the field modulation frequency from the undisturbed gas resonance frequency. The coherent reflection is highly sensitive in phase to the microwave generator frequency due to anomalous dispersion. The coherent reflection (and the sidebands) is detected and filtered after detection to pass only a band near the field modulation oscillator frequency. The detected beat frequency is also highly sensitive in phase to the generator frequency. The resultant beat frequency, if at the field modulation frequency, may be phase detected against the field modulation oscillator frequency. The phase comparison provides a frequency sensitive voltage which, if desired, may be applied to control the microwave generator frequency. The microwave generator frequency is thus stabilized at a selected one of certain olf-set frequencies.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, a first detection including detection of the coherently reflected energy provides certain frequency components wave generator.

In each case, the detected voltage having the field modulation oscillation frequency (at least nominally) is highly sensitive in phaseto departures of the assigned `off-set frequency of a microwave generator from the Vresonance frequency. The resonance frequency is always displaced by half the field modulation oscillator frequency from the undisturbed gas resonance frequency. By selection of the field modulation frequency, a wide continuous selection of controlled frequencies is readily possible.

The foregoing, and'otherobjects, advantages,'and novel features of the invention will be more fully apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which like reference numerals refer to similar parts, and in which: i

Fig. l is a diagram schematically portraying one embodiment ofthe invention; t V

' Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the Dicke- Newell gas cell employed in Fig. l;

Figs. 3 and `4 are graphs useful in understanding the operation of the Dicke-Newell gascell; and

"Fig `5 is a block diagram schematically portraying another embodiment of the invention.

` Referring to Fig. 1, a field modulationoscillator 12.- Y of frequency p is connected vto a Dicke-Newell gas cell' 10. `A D. C. (direct current) source 14 may also be connected to the gas cell 10. A microwave generator 16 having a frequency of oscillations w is modulated by a generator modulation oscillator 18 of frequency The modulated output of the microwave generator 16 is applied to the Dicke-Newell gas cell it). The coherently reected or re-radiated energy from the gas cell passes through a directional coupler 22 to a detector 24. The directional coupler 22 may be considered as having two pairs of conjugate arms, each pair ofconjugate arms being de-coupled from the other arm of the same pair for energy incident on the coupler. For example, the arms 22a and 22h are conjugate pairs, and energy incident from arm 22a on the coupler 22 is not coupled to the arm 22h, some of the energy passing away from the coupler over arm 22d and some of the energy being absorbed in the absorptive termination of arm 22C. Such couplers (for example, long slot couplers) are well known and the coupler 22 is schematically indicated in a conventionalized manner understood in the art. The energy returning from the cell along the arm 22d passes out through arm 2211 part passing through 22a. A second directional coupler 23l may be employed inserted between the generator 16 and the directional coupler 22. Use of this directional coupler is optional. The system is operativeV without it if there are sufticient imperfections in the one way properties of the rst directional coupler, or if mismatch reections from the absorption cell are great enough. The second directional coupler 23 couples energy directly from the arm 23a' leading from the microwave generator 16 toward an Varm 23b coupled into the detector 24. The arms 22b and 23h meet at a junction which is preferably reectionless and leads substantially all the energy from each arm into the detector 24. The detector 24 is connected to an amplifier and filter 26. The amplifier and filter 26 is connected to a phase comparison detector 28. The phase comparison detector 28 also receives eriergy at the held modulation oscillator rate p from the field modulation oscillator 12. The output of the phase comparison detector 28, responsive to the difference inphase between the oscillations of field modulation oscillator 12 vand those detected by the detector 24 are applied to a frequency control element 30 of the microwave generator 16.

TherDicke-Newell gas cell 10 may be described asa gas cell having means forproviding a field periodic in time and space. One form of the gas cell internal structure is illustrated in Fig. `2. Other forms of gas cell are disclosed in the above-identified application of Robert H. Dicke and George S. Newell, Jr. A series of planar grids, alternate ones indicated as 50 and 52, all with wires parallel to a predetermined direction (shown hori-V eld between grids is used with some molecules, as NHS, where the Stark shift is quadratic and by virtue of the cross product term produces a desired linear frequency shift due to a Stark field, where otherwise the shift would be quadratic with applied field. lf the shift of the gas frequency employed is linear with applied field, as with some gases, then the D. C. field may be omitted.

The time and spatial periodic fields give rise to two travelling Stark Waves, either one of which may be employed. One wave travels in the direction of the incident microwave energy, and the other in the reverse. Due to the shift in the resonant frequency of the gas in adjacent laminations enclosed by adjacent grids, and to the quarter wave thickness of each lamination, constructive reflections are received only from one velocity class of molecules moving in the direction (or the reverse) of the incident wave. Therefore, when the ineident energy is p/ 2 above the undisturbed gas resonance (or wO-l-p/Z) molecules moving in the same direction as the incident energy are resonated at frequency wo referred to the moving molecules because of a Doppler shift. The reflected energy, also due to a Doppler shift, is reected and received at frequency werp/2. The reiiected line, like the gas resonance line, exhibits anomalous dispersion, as shown in Fig. 3 where n is the index of refraction, and also a resonance line, as shown in Fig. 4, only one resonance line being shown, namely that one occurring when the incident frequency passes through wo-l-p/Z, giving rise to the line shown at w0-p/2. Another line at wo-l-p/Z resulting when the incident energy is at wo-p/ 2, is not shown. The term resonance line used in this sense is intended to be interpreted as the spectral distribution of energy in the coherent reiiection.

For further details and a more complete explanation of the gas cell operation, reference may be made to the aforesaid copending application of Dicke-Newell.

In the operation of the arrangement of Fig. 1, the

y microwave generator 16 may be frequency modulated zontal) are mounted on metallic frames 54. Thegrids e v are dielectrically spaced apart preferably at aquarter of the Wavelength of the undisturbed gas molecular reso? A D. C. bias voltage, if'required, may be applied V by tapping off a series of voltage dividing resistors 63. The capacitors`58 by-pass any radio frequency (rni-4 crowave) voltages on the other alternate grids 52. The grids 50, 52 are enclosed in'an envelope (not shown) filled -with the desired vgas at reduced pressure, thus to be immersed in the gas. The microwave'energy isapplied to travel in a direction normal to the plane of the grids 50, 52, and polarized with the electric vector' normal to the grid Wires, to allow passage of the energy without serious obstruction by the grids; as shown in said Dicke- Newell application. Under these conditions, there are coherent reflections or. re-radiation from the `molecules of the gas. At either frequency woip/Zjfor the incident energy the reflections Varecoherent or constructive. The phenomenon is due to the spatial periodic and time periodic field between the grids. The D. C. voltageY or over .an interval Aw at the rate For this purpose the generator modulation oscillator 18 may be connected to the frequency control element 30 with suitable filtering (not shown) if necessary to prevent interference between the different sources of voltage applied to the frequency control element 30; these being separated by "suitable frequency intervals. The ratio Aw/ is chosen so tha-t the higher side frequencies customarily expected in frequency modulation are negligible, and the output from the microwave generator 16 may be written as e=E{Jo(Aw/) cos wt-|-J1(Aw/) cos (w-)t #1mm/mm w+ o 1) Where Jo and J1 are the Bessel functions of theV zero and irst order respectively, kand E is an amplitude factor. The nominal carrier frequency of the microwave generator 16 according to the invention, is selected 'to be any one of the following four frequencies w=w0'* -p/2 (2) w=woi|p2 j wo-l-P/ZFW-i--l-P 'v Y (3) due 'to the side-band energy at w {-=oovp'/2 incident on the gas cell 10, but with a phase qg, where og depends on n (the index of refraction, see Fig. 3). rpg is highly sensitive to frequency variation and critically deoriginal carrier frequency component plus the sideband frequencies as set forth in Equation. l also appear in the arm 2217 leading to the detector 24. If desired, the original carrier plus the side frequencies may be introduced by means of the directional coupler 23 and Athe arm 23h which joins the arm 22b at a preferably reflectionless junction. Thus the second directional-23,` may be omitted if other means are employedk for introducing the original carrier and sideband frequency from' Vthe microwave generator 16 to the detector 24. The input to the detect-or Z4 may therefore be written as where or, b, c, and d are appropriately amplitude coecients, and qta, qu., ,b,., and or are phase constants due to effective path` lengths.

The amplifier and filter 26 passes only a band of frequencies near the frequency p. It will be understood that the filter may lbe separate, or that the filter and amplifier may be an ordinary I. F. (intermediate frequency) amplifier. Of the beat frequenciesl introduced by the detector 24, all will be filtered out except those in the neighborhood of p, the amplifier output will be where k1 is an amplitude factor.

For spectral line work, the excitation and refected frequency may be, for example, near 24 times 109 C. P. S. and p may be about 25,000 C. P. S. The effective path length phases or and fait may be made to differ by a very small amount, for example by less than a. factor of therefore, the difference gbr-cpt is practically independent` of changes due to thermal. path4 length changes.

The phase og of the amplifier output ed is compared with the reference phase from the field modulation oscillat-or l2 in the phase comparison detector 28, to derive a frequency control voltage having sensing and which is applied tothe frequency control element 30 of the' microwave generator 16. The frequency control voltage from the phase comparison detector 28 may be assumed to vary at a `somewhat slow drift rate much less than-the frequency of the generator modulati-on oscillator 18. Therefore, frequency separation between the two frequencies applied to the frequency control element 30, to prevent cross-effects (crosstalk) is quite easy to accomplish, as well understood in the art. t

The arrangement of Fig. 5 is similar to that of Fig. l, except that two detectors are employed. Again, the application of the sideband frequency to the rst detector 24 over `a separate pathV by means including, for example, a second `direction coupler 23, is optional. One may rely on imperfections in the directional coupler 22 or deliberately introduced reections, or other means for -applying the desired frequency components to the first detector 24. As before, the output of the first detector Z4 is supplied to an amplifier and filter 26. A second detector 32 is inserted between the amplifier 26 and the phase comparison detector 28. In the arrangement of Fig. 5, the amplifier and filter 26 is arranged to pass a band of frequencies in the neighborhood of the frequency The second detector 30 is arranged to detect com; ponents of frequency p, and to by-pass the normally higher frequency components or the like.

in the operation of the arrangement of Fig. 5, the modulation of the microwave generator 16 at frequency ,3 is AM (amplitude modulation) rather than FM (frequency modulation). The' modulated output of the microwave generator 16 may be writen as Where m is the modulation factor, and Ea is an amplitude factor.

As before, the system operates for w adjusted to any of the frequencies indicated in the Equations 2. As be- Actually, it is desired that the amplifier and filter 26 A las before. The inputto the first 'detector 24 may therefore be Y.written as f [(wrbtbl] (9) C COS (wl-)i-l'l -d CGS fw++lfl+1i+gl where the constants have a significance similar to those in Equation 4 above, but are, of course, actually different numerically. The similarity between Equations 4 and 9 is apparent anddifferencesare due to the fact that in one case the microwave generator 16 is frequency modulated, while in the second case,` that of the arrangement of Fig. 5, the microwave generator 16' is amplitude modulated.

The amplifier andA filter 26 is nowV arranged to pass a band of frequencies near and preferably ,8 is much greater than p. Thus the frequency may bea normal v I. F. frequency of several megacycles, whereas the frequency [f may be in the neighborhood of 25,000 c. p. s.

pass the frequency and the frequenciesditfering from by the frequency p and exclude other frequency components. Thusthere is applied to the second detector 30 one component at frequency and' phase mota-toi 10) another component at frequency and: phase Y. tentati-*aol oo and finally a component at frequency -l-p at phase [(+P)+(g+r-c)] (12) Now the effective path lengths are chosen so that w=c1=S1r (13) where S is any integer.

for each of the three frequency components at frequencies w, w-land w-. Undesirable phase changes due to thermal path length changes are also small for this initial condition. ln the arrangement of Fig. 5, the components at frequencies with phases wertet-bol and it-Haken] add to give a larger term at a resultant fixed phase and frequency than in the arrangement of Fig. l. This resultant term of frequency beats with the term of frequency (18|-p) and phase indicated by Expression l2 above in the second detector 30, to give a term of frequency p and a phase as expressed by The phase of the term at frequency p from` the second detector 0 is compared in phase with the oscillations from the field modulation oscillator 12 asa reference voltage in the phase comparison detector 28. A nonambiguous frequency control voltage is thus obtained which is applied tothe frequency control element 30 of the microwave generator 16.

The invention thus described provides a novel fre-V quency control arrangement in which a microwave generator is modulated, and one of the side-band frequencies is yapplied to -aDicke-Newell gas cell subject to the custornary field modulation oscillations. The coherent reflections from the Dicke-Newell gas cell 10 are detected Then the first detector 24 will be at similar points on a standing wave which may exist 'with the carrier and side-band energy from the microwave generator 16 to provide' an output which may be comdetect frequencies in the neighborhood of the generator modulation oscillator frequency, and thereafter a second detection being employed to recover the lpseudo sideband frequency p, which is then compared in phase with energy from the field modulation oscillator to provide a frequency control voltage for the microwave generator. What is'claimed is:V Y

l. A system comprising a microwave generator having a frequency control element, means to modulate the said generator to provide a carrier frequency and at least one side-band frequency, a gas cell of the type having means to provide a field periodic in space along an axis of said cell and periodic in time connectedto receive said sideband energy, a field modulation oscillator connected to said gas cell means to provide said periodic field, and means to stabilize the carrier frequency of said modulated energy a-t a frequency displaced from an undisturbed gas resonance frequency by the generator Vmodulation frequency and the resultant further displaced by half the field modulation frequency, said frequency stabilizing means comprising a detector connected to receive phase coherent energy reflected from said gas cell and also connected to receive said generator carrier frequency, a

filter connected to said detector, and a phase comparison 4detector connected to said filterto compare the phase of the field modulation oscillations and the output of said filter to provide a frequency control Voltage.

2. The system claimed in claim l, further comprising means to apply said frequency control voltage to said frequency control element.

3. A system comprising Ya microwave generator having a frequency control/element, means to modulate the said generator to provide a carrier frequency and at least'one sideband frequency, a gas'cel-l of the type having means to provide a field periodic in space along an axis of said cell andY periodic in time, -a eld modulation oscillator connectedto said gas cell means to provide said periodic field,-and means to stabilize the carrier frequency of said modulated energy at a frequency displaced from the undisturbed gas resonance frequency by the generator modulationV frequency and the resultant further displaced by halfthe eld modulation frequency, said frequency stabilizing meansV comprising adetector -to receive phase coherent energy reflected from said gas cell and also connected to receive said generator frequency, a fltervconnected to receivethe output of said detector, and a phase comparison `detector connected to control by its output said frequency control element and with its input circuits connected to said filter and said modulation oscillator to compare the phases of voltages from said filter and said field modulation oscillator.

4. The system claimed in claim 3, said means to modulate the `said microwave generator being frequency modulation means.

5. The system claimed in claim 3, said means to modulate the said microwave generator being amplitude modulation means.

V6. The system claimed in claim 5, further comprising a second detector connected between said phase comparison detector and said filter.

7. The system claimed in claim l, the connection of said detector to receive reflections from said gas cell and the connection of said gas cell to receive said sideband energy including a directional coupler.

8. The system claimed in claim 7, the connection of said detector to receive said generator carrier frequency including a second directional coupler.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,591,257: .VI-Iershberger' Apr. l, 1952 

